Advanced System Care 3 Question

[Bill Hunt]

I debated whether to post this to Tools, or Computer Issues, and finally settled on the Watercooler. If Ron thinks it should be moved, please feel free to do so.

Based on a thread in the Adobe PE forum, I saw a glowing rec. for Advanced System Care 3, and then a user testimonial. I had not heard of this program, but did some exploration. Before I run it on any of my machines, I have a few questions. It is billed as a "one button solution." Can it be run incrementally, i.e. to do certain sweeps and fixes, or is it just one button and all is automatic?

It seems to be a good program, but I am not having any problems with any of my machines, and usually ascribe to the "if it ain't broke... " philosophy. Still, it seem quite good, but I from too much that is "automatic." I've had too many sweep/repair programs that get carried away. One of my pop-up blockers always flags a half-dozen Adobe .dll's and other files as "bad." I have to monitor it's activity, least it get confused and blow away some necessary Adobe stuff. Another always wants to clean out my Registry of references to many Adobe file types, like PSB's and AI files. It's not smart enough to know that if Adobe installed/wrote this stuff, it's necessary.

Does anybody here have experience with Advanced System Care 3? (Steve, are you around and about?)

Just curious, thanks

Hunt

[Steve Grisetti]

I'm loving it, Hunt. In fact, I recommend it in the Adobe forum FAQs. It replaces Advanced Windows Care, which was also an excellent automatic tune-up program. Removes lots of malware, clears out temp files, cleans up the registry, etc.

Yes, you can fix a lot of stuff with the one-button automatic mode -- but you can also choose to work the processes one at a time if you'd like. There are also some great bonus features for things like automatically checking to see if all of your drivers and software are up to date. (This feature is still under construction though.)

In my experience, I've seen only great results with no downside. (No accidentally erasing a file and rendering my computer unbootable or anything like that.) And I used its FireFox tuner the other day, and it made a huge difference in performance (though I can't honestly say I know for sure what it did).

In all then, I have nothing but praise for this piece. So much so that I may even buy it. Not because the shareware version lacks anything -- but because I want to encourage these guys to keep up the great work!

Here's the link to it, by the way -- though I think there's now a version 3.11.
http://www.iobit.com/advancedwindowscareper.html

[Bill Hunt]

Steve,

Thank you. That is exactly what I wanted to hear. Because of little "mis-steps" by my other programs, especially around Adobe, I always worry.

Going back decades, I fell for one of these, and allowed it to do it's thing. When it was done, I had to do a low-level format of the SCSI HDD and a complete re-install of Win 3.1.1 (IIRC). After I was back up and running, I burned the disc in the firepit and uttered incantations over its flaming remains. Been burned by a "one button" once.

You said all of the right things. Heck, I might have to go get FireFox, just so I can optimize it!!!!!

Happy New Year,

Hunt

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

Read this thread and was interested enough to download the trial. Looked good so purchased the 'upgrade'. Result - PC totally screwed to the extent that Windows no longer recognised some of its own software components.

Fortunately I use Acronis to regularly back up my system drive so a quick restore should fix the problem. Just a cautionary warning.

[Steve Grisetti]

Yeow! Sorry about that, John. But I don't think your results are typical by any means.

I'm just seeing better performance.

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

....But I don't think your results are typical by any means.

I suspect that you are right, Steve. The number of posts on various fora singing the praises of ASC would suggest that on my particular config I had some kind of significant (now there's an understatement!) conflict. Fortunately I was able to recover my system.

[Bobby]

Not to take sides in this discussion, but I stay away from all that stuff. I keep my PCs and my client's PC clean, and never had a specific need for one of those programs. Any time you let an artificial intelligence ( ) system do your work for you, you have to accept that HAL makes mistakes sometimes!

[Steve Grisetti]

Daisy, Daisy,
Give me your answer do....

[Bob]

"The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error. "


That was a very nice song, HAL.

[Bobby]

Don't forget that HAL is IBM--. We know IBM never makes mistakes...

[jackfalbey]

Well, my philosophy is that the computer NEVER makes mistakes...

But the computer operator, programmer, system builder, IT technician, software developer, and any other fleshy-type humanoid organism involved along the way probably made a lot of mistakes that the computer will perpetuate in the most catastrophic way possible!


Seriously, though, I've used the free Easy Cleaner from ToniArts for the better part of a year now to do routine clean-up and maintenance my 3 PCs and had no problems with it so far...

[RJ Johnston]

I gave ASC3 a go and it did a very good job of cleaning. It does everything I normally do, plus it deleted the cookies with with my login names and passwords, which I normally don't check off on the maintenance tab in Internet Explorer. Windows XP started up with no problems. I didn't notice any improvement in PRE7 performance as I already have an excellent defragger and I frequently do other maintenance. I saw that ASC3 is or will offer background defragmenting.

[RJ Johnston]

I use ASC3 just about every day now.

One thing I noticed is that if the application is just open, then the playback in Premiere Elements 7 is jittery even if the timeline has been rendered. The pro version comes with a RAM optimizer. Even if the main app is closed but the RAM optimizer is running, playback jerks, and sometimes it looks like playback reverses for a moment.

[Steve Grisetti]

The free version has a RAM optimizer too, Robert. It's among the utilities in version 3 (which is now called Advanced System Care).

[RJ Johnston]

I gave up on RAM optimizers a long time ago, but wanted to see if this offered anything different, since it was there.

They have a special of $19.95 for a 1 year subscription for the Pro version, which I got. I want to see what else it can do. If I don't see any significant improvements, then I'll drop the subscription.